Lauren Holman
Director, Homestead Infant and Toddler School
I have been living in Vermont for the last seven months, having moved here from England at the end of 2024. I have been working in Early Education for nearly ten years, with experience across a range of age groups. My approach to teaching is grounded in the belief that every child should feel safe, valued and free to be themselves and I feel lucky to be a part of each child’s day, supporting their growth and learning through meaningful connections and shared moments.
Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family and new puppy and exploring all that Vermont has to offer!
Sam Lyons
Director, The Homestead Preschool at Lakewood Commons
My name is Sam Lyons and I am a Connecticut native who came to Vermont to attend Champlain College and fell in love with this state. That was over 12 years ago now and I’m so happy to call Vermont my home. I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and then got my Vermont Teaching Licence to work with children from birth-6th grade. After college I spent 5 years working as a classroom teacher with infants up through preschoolers. I then went on to become a Director of a program guiding staff and families through the challenging post-covid times before joining the Homestead team.
I believe in child led education and doing what I can to support children and their teachers to explore the different interests in the classrooms. Children are so aware of what is happening around them from the start, and I firmly believe that it is our job as adults to expand on that curiosity, guiding them in their exploration of the world we live in.
When I’m not in school I enjoy reading while curled up with some of my pets or playing board games with friends.
Kathleen Schaffner
Director, The Homestead Preschool
My love of teaching began in Merida, Venezuela, during my junior year abroad with St. Bonaventure University; I was an English tutor at a local primary school. After graduation, I traveled to Costa Rica to teach Kindergarten in a bilingual elementary school. In 1997, I came to the University of Vermont to earn my graduate degree in Elementary Education. My first teaching job was as a Title I Reading Specialist at the Warren School in Warren, Vermont. I went on to teach first through third grade at the Renaissance School for seven years. I moved on to Heartworks in Burlington to teach Pre-Kindergarten for three years before becoming the School Director, a position I held for ten years. I currently hold a Level II Elementary Educator’s License from the state of Vermont, and a Level I Early Childhood Director’s Credential.
In my free time I enjoy skiing, running, playing field hockey, reading, traveling, exploring all of Vermont, and spending time with my husband and two children.